PLAY, LEARN, GROW

TRAVEL

First and foremost, remember that just because you have a little one (or even a whole bundle of joys) that doesn’t mean that you can’t plan fun trips. This page is here to offer tips for traveling near or far.

Pulling off a great family vacation does requires planning, patience and effort. I found that often the sites you book hotels on, don’t always offer inside information and researching the right hotel, restaurant and attractions can take a great deal of time. Hopefully I can save you some time by exploring and finding the right kid friendly trips. The vacation articles are organized by state:

Rules:-This giveaway is open January 26- February 4, 2018 at 12:00 PM. One lucky couple will be randomly drawn to win the date night package (Dinner for two, slot for two kids at My Gym and Sip & Shoot Photo session) to be treated to on February 10, 2018.

-LIKE the post and COMMENT what you love most about your sweetheart or use a GIF to show your affection.

-You may enter the giveaway twice! To increase your chances of winning you can enter once on Southern Maryland Restaurants Facebook Page and once on The Playful Parent Facebook Page.

-This Valentine’s giveaway is open to residents in the Southern Maryland area who are 18 years and older. Don’t have to have young kids in the house to win. You can be parents, grandparents or even auties and uncles to win. Even if your partner already entered you still can too!

-SHARE the love with friends by tagging and posting this on your page (NOT Mandatory.)

***This contest was brought to you by the Dream Date Team; Facebook is not affilated with this giveaway.***

Details: Swim times are subject to change without notice. All patrons will be cleared from thewater 15 minutes prior to facility closing.Cost: Children age 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult age 16 and older.Any group of eight or more must make reservations with the pool manager at least two weeksprior.

Date: Every Tuesday & ThursdayTime: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PMLocation: Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Crain Highway, White Plains, MDDetails: Toddler Time is a great shared experience for child and parent. A time for your little ones to discover the joy of being active, bouncing under the supervision of their parents, and without interference from the big kids. Visit their website or Facebook Page to find out about special seasonal Toddler Time EventsEvent Type: Parent/childAge Group: Walking to 5 years oldRegistration: Walk-in welcome!Cost: $10 Toddler, $8 Additional Toddler, $7 ParentInformation: SKYZONE TODDLER TIME LINK

INDOOR PLAYGROUND HOURS- ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE JBA (BASE ACCESS ONLY)Date: OPEN DAILYTime: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PMLocation: JBA Community Commons, 1442 Concord Ave, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland 20762Details: Did you miss the Grand Opening ribbon-cutting ceremony?! No problem you can still visit daily. The hours of the indoor playground will be the same as the normal JBA Community Commons hours (Monday to Saturday 7 am. to 8 p.m.) except in the case of reservations by private parties. Please reach out to their page directly for more details. This is for base access DOD and Military ID families.Event Type: Grand OpeningAge Group: All AgesCost: FREERegistration: Drop-In

VALENTINES DAY MAKERS MARKETDate: February 3, 2018Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PMLocation: Annmarie GardenDetails: The Valentine Maker’s Market is THE place to find thoughtful and handmade gifts for all the sweeties in your life. There is always a fabulous variety of options, including small batch chocolates, jewelry, leather goods, pottery, clothing, and so much more! You will find more than 30 vendors offering a wide selection of homemade, handmade or homegrown products, and every vendor is from Maryland. Plus the café will be open!Event Type: Arts & Craft FairAge Group: All Ages / Kid FriendlyCost: Admission is freeInformation: MAKERS MARKET LINK

Date: ThursdaysTime: 10:30 AMLocation: Sweet Sues Bakery, North Beach, MDDetails: Sweet Sue’s is really excited to introduce a weekly Story time. For the winter months on Thursdays at 10:30am they will be reading some books and then enjoying a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk. (Always check with host before attending an event.)Event Type: Story timeAge Group: Recommended age range is birth-5yrs.Cost: There is no charge to join, just something fun to do in this cold weather!Information: EVENT LINK

HOME SCHOOL STEMDate: First Thursday of the MonthTime: 2:00 PMLocation: Charles County Public Library – Potomac BranchDetails: Once a month we will have a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activity for early elementary age homeschool students. Join us for fun, learning, and socializing. Both sessions each month will be the same activity. In May we will be doing an Earth Science project.Event Type: School AgeAge Group: 5-9Registration: OnlineCCPL CALENDAR LINK

HOME SCHOOL STEMDate: First Thursday of the MonthTime: 2:00 PMLocation: Charles County Public Library – Potomac BranchDetails: Once a month we will have a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activity for early elementary age homeschool students. Join us for fun, learning, and socializing. Both sessions each month will be the same activity. In May we will be doing an Earth Science project.Event Type: School AgeAge Group: 5-9Registration: OnlineCCPL CALENDAR LINK

Rules:-This giveaway is open January 26- February 4, 2018 at 12:00 PM. One lucky couple will be randomly drawn to win the date night package (Dinner for two, slot for two kids at My Gym and Sip & Shoot Photo session) to be treated to on February 10, 2018.

-LIKE the post and COMMENT what you love most about your sweetheart or use a GIF to show your affection.

-You may enter the giveaway twice! To increase your chances of winning you can enter once on Southern Maryland Restaurants Facebook Page and once on The Playful Parent Facebook Page.

-This Valentine’s giveaway is open to residents in the Southern Maryland area who are 18 years and older. Don’t have to have young kids in the house to win. You can be parents, grandparents or even auties and uncles to win. Even if your partner already entered you still can too!

-SHARE the love with friends by tagging and posting this on your page (NOT Mandatory.)

***This contest was brought to you by the Dream Date Team; Facebook is not affilated with this giveaway.***

ABOUT THE CREATOR OF THE PLAYFUL PARENT

Welcome to The Playful Parent! My name is Kristy and I am a mother of two energetic boys. I believe that children learn through play! I love to do fun things with my children and hope that sharing our adventures provides other families with inspiration and resources that lead to quality time together and a love for learning! I started this site so parents would have a family friendly place to come to, feel supported and leave with information that is useful. This site is kept advertisement and influence free in order to keep the site from clutter and non-bias opinion. since it is non-monetized and profit free; your feedback, likes and comments on social media is how I get support from other companies to provide the community with free events and information.